Wooden-stave pipe.



3 SP mH Ln IA M N RE APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 10, 1908.

Patented June 1,1909;

Q/vi l'n eases attoznugo WILLIS E. PHILLIPS, OF COLLBRAN, COLORADO.

WOODEN -STAVE PIPE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 10, 1908.

Patented June 1, 1909.

Serial No. 437,788.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIS E. PHILLIPS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Collbran, in the county of Mesa and State of Colorado, have invented a new and useful lVooden-Stave Pipe, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to pipes for transporting liquid under pressure; and has for its object to produce a pipe made of a number of straight flat wooden staves assembled with their edges in contact to form a tubular structure of polygonal outline in cross section.

Another object of the invention pertains to the key stave which serves the double function of forming one of the sides of the pipe and as a means to hold the ends of the hoops or bands.

A further object of the invention is directed to the joints between the staves where by they are made watertight, however great the internal pressure against the staves.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side view of one end of a pipe constructed in accordance with this invention; Fig. 2, a cross sectional view of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 a detail view in cross section of a part of a pipe showing the effect of internal pressure on the staves and joints; Fig. at a perspective view of one end of a stave; Fig. 5 a perspective view of a metal reinforce for the key stave for one hoop or band; and Fig. 6 a like view of a reinforce of indefinite length Where the hoops or hands are close together.

Similar reference characters are used for the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawing, 1 indicates the ordinary staves and 2 the key stave. The ordinary staves 1 are made with straight parallel sides and beveled edges 3 the angles of which depend upon the number of sides of the polygonal pipe, the inclination being such that when assembled the beveled edges of the staves will be in close contact throughout their width. The ordinary staves 1 are made straight instead of being bent or coopered into a curved form because they can be manufactured more cheaply and with greater economy of wood than coopered staves which require thicker lumber in order that the curved shape may be given them, thus causing a great waste of wood, and besides this, the cost is further increased as it is necessary to use expensive planing and shaping machinery to shape the staves whereas, with straight sided staves, they can be easily, quickly and cheaply made in any saw mill.

The key stave 2 is much thicker than the ordinary staves 1 and projects beyond the outer surfaces of the pipe for its entire length, its exterior edges being slightly inclined from the surface of the pipe inwardly to its outer side parallel to its straight inner side.

Around the pipe at suitable distances apart are placed hoops 5 of circular form and therefore do not touch the staves except at the angles, corners or junctions between staves. The ends 6 of the hoops 5 are not joined, but made straight so that their ends may pass each through a separate hole bored at an angle transversely in the outer portion of the key stave 2 and be held in place around the pipe and drawn tightly against the angles or corners thereof by means of nuts 7 screwed on the ends of each hoop. The straight end 6 of the hoops are tangents thereof and hence, cross each other as they pass through the key stave the edges 01" which are made perpendicular to the thread ed extremities of the hoop ends so that the fastening nuts 7 will bear squarely on the key stave. The pressure exerted by the nuts when drawingthe hoops to place is not great enough to change the circular shape of the hoop but it may be sufticient to slightly crush the corners or angles of the pipe, and therefore secures a longer bearing thereon.

The distance between the hoops depends on the amount of pressure the pipes are designed to withstand. If they be subjected to high pressure the hoops will be placed close together, but when employed as non-pressure pip es only, a few hoops only are needed.

lVhen the pipe is to withstand a heavy pressure, a metal reinforcing plate 8 is placed over the key stave at each hoop, hugging the stave closely on top and exposed sides, and provided with holes 9 registering with the holes in the key stave for the ends of the hoop to pass through. If preferred a continuous or channel iron reinforce 10 may be employed instead of numerous single reinforce plates 8, and under certain circumstances, the channel iron reinforce is the practically non-yieldable hoops.

preferred. The reinforce plate 8 is fastened in place by a bolt 11 passing through the key stave 2 and the plate, and held by a nut 12. Similar fastening means are employed to hold the'reinforce 10.

Before assembling the staves, the number of which is not limited but varies with the size of the pipe and the pressure to be sustalned, the o1n1ng edges only, having been beveled, are soaked in water to temporarily toughen the fiber, and then by means of a special tool, the dampened edges are combed against the grain when possible to raise a nap of wood fiber resembling wool. After assembling the stares to form the pipe, and the hoops applied, the wooled edges of the staves are drawn closely together and form. strainers, gathering silt and solid matter in the water passing through thepipe which material is forced deeper into the joints by the pressure o'f the water and, being held by the wooled or mapped surfaces of the staves, self-calking joints are formed in which s1lt becomes the calkmg medium and the wood wool the medium for retainv 'ing 1t.

wardly, see Fig. 3, toward the hoops, the

pressure tending to curve :each stave like a coopered stave. This increases the length of the crush bearings,that is, the bearings between the hoops and the staves, so that the center ofthe staves will never be forced quite to the hoops. This change in shape -of the staves will, naturally slightly open the joints between the staves within the pipe, which will quickly fill up with silt, and be forced closer together on the outside,

thus effectually calking the joints. The

greater the pressure the tighter the oint. The key stave 2 as previously stated is also made of wood and of greater thickness than the ordinary staves to give support to the ring hoops which unite the staves to form a polygonal pipe. This stave, therefore,

takes the place of the usual meta-l fastenings employed to fasten the ends of the hoops and, belng made-of wood 1t 1s cheaper andserves not only as a medium for securing the ends of the hoops but performs the functions of a stave.

hat is claimed is 1. A polygonal pipe formed of staves having flat parallel sides and beveled edges, circular hoops bearing on the corners only of said pipe, and a key stave to which the ends of said hoops are fastened.

2. A polygonal pipe formed of staves having flat parallel sides and beveled edges, CUOUlEIY hoops bearing on the corners only of said pipe to hold said staves in contact, and a key stave thicker than the other staves to whiclrthe ends of said hoops are fastened.

3. A polygonal pipe formed of staveshaving fiat parallel sides and beveled edges, circular hoops bearing on the corners of said pipes, a key stave forming a part of the pipe and made thicker than the other staves through which the ends of saidhoops pass, and means for holding and tightening said hoops around the staves.

4. A polygonal pipe formed of staves one of which is thicker than the others and all having flat parallel sides and beveled edges, circular hoops bearing on the corners only of the thin staves and passing through the thicker stave, a reinforcing .plateon the exterior of said thick stave through which the ends of said hoops extend and tightening means upon the ends of the hoops.

5. A polygonal pipe formed of staves with flat parallel sides and beveled edges, circular hoops bearing on the outer corners only of said sta-ves, and holding them in forcible contact and tightening means for said hoops,

said stave edges being roughened to permit the entrance and retention of silt from within the pipe for forming a tight joint be tween the staves.

6. A wooden pipe formed of flat staves having their edges beveled and circular hoops for holding the staves forcibly in contact, one of said staves being thicker than the others for the attachment of the encircling hoops.

ture in the presence of two witnesses.

WVILLIS E. PHILLIPS.

Vitnesses FRED. E. TANNER, CARR MAnsrrALn. 

